No flossing in Great Britain, just Bubba smiles from the Royals and Show Biz types.
So imagine my shock and awe on learning that, based on conclusions put forth by England Public Health, U.S. health officials have dropped the use of dental floss as a recommended approach to oral hygiene.
And I hate profiling white folks with funny accents. But when your usual and customary royals and show biz types flash the next thing to Bubba smiles, I just wish I had a super-prominent eyebrow to raise.
Great Britain giving the hook to something as red, white, and blue as dental floss, invented by our own Doc Levi Spear Parmly (“Spear” will become ironic) way back in 1874, is sort of like Raider Nation bagging on Emily Post or Switzerland editing Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” or North Korea plagiarizing Rodney King (“Can’t we all just get along?”)
Given that the British Dental Association (BDA) evaluated dental floss as having “little use” and its benefits scientifically unproven, the U.S. Health Department picked up the ball (or followed the thread) concluding there was no proof flossing prevents gum disease or stops cavities. And using similar logic, U.S. health officials might have also observed using under-arm deodorant had no scientific base and didn’t necessarily ward off close talkers or stop anti-social behavior.
The Brits recommend inter-dental brushes and the devices, such as proxy-brushes, Stim U Dents, and toothpicks have always been around, used as adjuncts or replacements for floss. For the uninitiated (Irony warning), the interdental brushes most resemble little fuzzy “spears” or at worst, rubber or wooden “spears”. The BDA properly asserted the interdental devices better compliment the interproximal (between teeth) surfaces, fitting the contours of subtle anatomic concavities existing on the sides of teeth. Our former landlords also warned flossing could cause gums injuries…and yeah, so can little fuzzy spears.
The American Dental Association estimates 40% of the U.S. adult population use dental floss but I bet the ADA also has the Angels winning the World Series and Trump carrying California. And if 40% of Americans really do use floss, that’s great…because only 50% see a dentist on a regular basis. We do know unmanaged periodontal disease has a strong link to general health and even life expectancy; disrupting the bacterial infection-causing plaque between your teeth is part of an effective overall preventive and maintenance plan. But there is more.
If your teeth line up like Bubba’s…or Hugh Grant’s, you’ll always be vulnerable to periodontal disease. And if you’re already managing periodontal disease, the outcome will never be optimal as long as your teeth are not properly aligned…whether you’re using patriotic dental floss or Christian Bale’s little fuzzy spears (by the way, you’ll NEVER see a photo of Bale smiling and showing his lower front teeth.)
When teeth are properly aligned, they’re engineered to practically clean themselves; floss or inter-dental brushes work equally well maintaining health. And treating periodontal disease while orthodontically aligning teeth with clear, removable aligners such as with Invisalign care actually speeds up both processes.
So what if it were possible to move teeth faster into a more self-cleansing, health-preserving position, have definitive periodontal care, and an unobstructed access to maintain health with old school dental floss or little fuzzy spears…all at the same time?
Ask your dentist about clear aligner orthodontic care with Invisalign. Why not seize an opportunity for lasting oral health and a smile worth smiling about?
